Second Button
by StarkBlack
Summary: Graduation is a time of reflection, of celebration, and of new beginnings. Higher rating for second chapter.
1. Chapter 1

This is for **waters_of_lethe** on Live Journal. I'm sorry it took so long, but I hope you like it!

I've always loved those short, cutesy little manga one-shots with the angsty love and confessions between best friends in high school. It's seriously my weakness. (You cannot imagine what Sekaiichi Hatsukoi does to me, guh.) So I was of course thrilled to put one of those sappy, cutesy, little things together myself. It's in two parts, the first being the angsty/cute part, and the second is the part with the NC-17 rating.

Please enjoy, and if anyone needs an explanation on the Japanese tradition of the "second button" you can find a link at the top of my profile here.

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**Second Button**

Sanji watched the cherry blossoms dance outside his homeroom window. The wind teased the branches, making them sway gently as it pulled petals free, sending them floating down to the grass below.

Today was graduation day. In just a few more hours he would be free, he would never have to set foot in another school ever again. He would not be going to college, there was no need. He had already chosen his profession, and he was already adept. He would take over the restaurant here in Kyoto while his father expanded the business, spreading the art of French cooking to all parts of Japan. That was all Sanji had ever really wanted: his own restaurant. He could bury his other desires, his other dreams, if he could just have that. He could be happy.

"A bunch of the girls are crying."

Ace's voice pulled Sanji from his thoughts. He glanced at his friend who had come to join him at the window.

"It's because they just all just realized after today they won't see you anymore," Sanji chuckled to hide a sharp pain that almost took his breath away.

Ace shrugged and watched something outside in the yard. He had been quiet today, thoughtful, which wasn't completely abnormal for the eldest D brother, but it was a little out of character. Sanji had expected Ace would have been excited to see this day come, but it seemed as though his best friend was preoccupied. Sad.

"Are you excited about America?" Sanji asked.

Nodding, Ace pushed his hands further into the pockets of his uniform slacks. "It'll be fun, I think. Luffy's kinda bummed about having to stay a year by himself, but gramps doesn't want to have to introduce him to another school."

"Usopp and Nami will keep him on track," Sanji said.

"Yup," Ace said quietly, "he'll be fine."

Sanji didn't understand why Ace seemed so melancholy. The Ds had been talking about going to America for almost a year. They, as a family, had been selected to teach martial arts at a prestigious school in California. It was an incredible opportunity for them all, and Ace had been extremely excited about it since it had become a possibility.

Sanji had been proud of his friend, even if the news had been devastating. The thought of Ace moving away and living in another country had shocked him so profoundly that Sanji had gone home that night and cried himself to sleep. He had emailed his homeroom teacher the next morning and told her he was sick, but really he had just laid in bed all day hating himself and hating the way he was and how he felt. The next few weeks had been hard, but Sanji had learned to push the pain aside and go on like nothing was wrong.

However, Sanji knew that once this day was over, once their graduation was behind them, he would go home and cry like that again tonight.

Ace was leaving tomorrow morning.

"I think we're supposed to line up now," Ace murmured.

Sanji nodded and followed his friend out into the hallway. Their classmates chatted and laughed and clapped them on the back, but Sanji could say nothing. He smiled, he tried to pretend, but all he could think about was the fact that in a few hours, he would probably never see Ace again.

The ceremony was surprisingly quick. After receiving his diploma Sanji returned to his seat to listen to the closing speech from the mayor. He couldn't make out a word. He sat with his hands gripping the small roll of paper tightly and his stomach tying itself into painful knots. What should he do? He had agonized over possibly telling Ace his feelings for several weeks, but really what would that do? If Sanji told Ace he was in love with him, they would part and Ace would probably never contact him. He would go to America and sever all ties. Ace would hate him.

No, Sanji would not tell him. He would calm down. He would smile and pose for pictures and never let anyone know what he was actually thinking. He would bury it away in his heart where no one could ever find it, not even himself.

He sat up straight and checked the collar of his uniform. He pulled down his sleeves and tugged at the jacket's hem. When his hand brushed over his lowest button however, he stopped. His fingers slowly traced up from the bottom, tracing the fourth, then the third, and stopping at the second. He ran the pad of his pointer finger over the smooth, brass, surface. He thought about how many times he had thought of this day, and imagined what it would be like to give his second button to Ace. Many, many times he had even fantasized Ace coming to him and asking for it.

Without thinking, Sanji gripped the button and pulled it from his uniform. If he wasn't giving it to Ace, he wasn't giving it to anyone, and he never would.

He slipped the button into his pocket as he stood to sing the school song.

As the ceremony ended, students were released back to their classes to collect yearbooks and say their goodbyes. Sanji found himself swept up in the arms of more than one girl and asked to smile into more cameras than he could count. The afternoon was a whir of pictures, smiles, signatures on yearbook pages, and more than one tearful goodbye.

"Hey," Sanji asked as things started to die down, "has anyone seen Ace?"

"Yeah," a classmate said, "I saw him a few minutes ago outside. He's by the sakura trees in the yard."

Thanking his friend, Sanji placed his things on his desk and left the classroom. He moved into the hallway and down the stairs, his mouth going dry and his palms starting to sweat as he opened the doors to the outside.

The wind was gentle on his face as he made his way to the garden. He spotted Ace standing beneath the trees, his hands in his pockets and his face turned up to watch the clouds in the sky. Sanji's heart started to pound as he made his way over. This was it.

"I'm glad it didn't rain today," Ace was smiling when Sanji joined him. "This is kind of how I always pictured it."

Sanji chuckled without any real humor in it, his heart hurt too much.

"Yeah, it's like shojo. Sakura petals and everything."

Ace nodded. "You know, I thought it would be more dramatic than all that, like, I'd feel something at the end. But it was kind of… anti-climactic really. I feel the same as I did before the ceremony."

"It'll probably hit you later when you're on the plane or something."

"Yeah maybe," Ace said. "I just thought, you know since…"

His voice trailed off and at first Sanji thought nothing of it. When it was clear Ace was not going to continue, Sanji looked up from where he had been studying the ground and was startled by what he saw.

Ace was staring at the place where Sanji's second button should be.

Irrational fear that Ace had somehow figured it out tore through him. Sanji dug his hands further into his pockets, his right gripping the hidden button so hard his knuckles creaked.

"What?"

Ace's eyes were sad as they lifted to meet Sanji's gaze. The hurt in them was obvious, but it didn't make any sense.

"You… didn't tell me…" Ace whispered.

Sanji almost couldn't speak his mouth was so dry. "Didn't tell you what?"

"That you… um," Ace's voice seemed to catch. He motioned to Sanji's jacket and swallowed thickly. "You gave away your second button."

Suddenly embarrassed, Sanji could feel his face turning red. What was he supposed to say?

"What do you care if I gave my second button away?"

A moment of silence passed between them before Ace moved. He came close, leaned in, the tips of his shaggy, black, hair tickled Sanji's cheek. Sanji's entire body reacted, shivering intensely. His heart thumped against his ribcage as if trying to escape.

Ace's voice shook as he said softly, "Because I wanted it…"

Sanji froze. His heart stopped beating.

When Ace pulled away, his face was downcast, so full of shame and sadness that it made Sanji want to cry. His friend pulled a hand from his pocket to wipe absently at his eyes before he shook his head.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "I won't bother you anymore, I promise. I'll leave you alone." Ace's lips started to tremble as he backed away. He lifted his hand to run his sleeve over his eyes once more before he lifted his head. He looked straight at Sanji through what could be nothing less than a broken heart and murmured, "Bye, Sanji."

Ace turned around and headed toward the gate.

Sanji took a shaky breath and realized he was still standing there. He hadn't moved, he hadn't said anything! Pulling his hands from his pockets, Sanji broke into a run. He sprinted to Ace and reached out for his friend's arm. He pulled him back, turning Ace to face him directly.

"Ace! Ace! Stop!"

He didn't give Ace a chance to protest. He didn't let his friend say or do anything before he grabbed Ace's hand and placed his button in that tanned, calloused, palm. He looked straight into those dark, watery eyes and squeezed his friend's fingers around the button.

"I didn't want to give it to anyone but you."

Ace let out a shuddering sob and covered his eyes with his other hand. He trembled in Sanji's hold, and took a few slow, deep breaths before he spoke so softly, Sanji almost couldn't hear him.

"Can I give you mine?"

Sanji felt his knees go weak, even as he suddenly felt he could fly.

"Yes."

**~end part one~**


	2. Chapter 2

Here you go. Second part to the fluffiest thing I've ever written.

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**Part Two**

It was already getting cold. The heat of the summer had left Kyoto abruptly, making jackets and scarves and wool gloves a necessity already in October.

Sanji waited outside the Travel and BookCafé at the Kyoto train station, his stomach in knots. Ace's train had already come in, and any moment now he would be coming around the corner. When he did, this would all be real. Ace would be here, in the flesh.

Ace had departed for America only a few short hours after their high school graduation. Since then they had talked often, but not in person. The thought of being in the same place, able to see and touch each other was amazing and wonderful and… terrifying all at once. The email Ace had sent a few days ago, telling Sanji that he was coming back to Kyoto and he would be staying with Luffy, was so unexpected, so incredible, that it was almost unbelievable. Sanji had wanted this for so long that it all seemed somewhat surreal.

When that familiar head of shaggy, black, hair finally did turn the corner, Sanji's heart sped up. He slipped his hands into his pockets to hide the fact that he was trembling. He watched the set of those broad shoulders and that easy swagger he had come to love so much the last few years come towards him.

Ace was typing something on his cell phone and watching the screen so intently, he didn't see Sanji standing there watching him. When Sanji's cell phone rang from inside his jacket pocket, the cook smiled softly and pulled it out. He checked the screen and thumbed to answer.

"Hey," he said.

"_Hey,_" Ace's voice was bright, just like the smile that stretched across his face when Sanji answered, "_I'm here._"

Sanji chuckled, "I know, I see you."

"_Eh?_" Ace looked up, spotting Sanji almost immediately. His smile faltered for a moment but then it stretched even wider. "_Hi…_"

"Hey…" Sanji said again. His heart was beating so fast he wasn't sure if his chest could take it. Ace was so handsome, so incredibly alive and real and _there_. It was like a dream.

Ace slowly lowered the phone and moved toward Sanji with a carefulness to his step that would have made Sanji laugh if he wasn't so nervous. He hung up his phone as well and met Ace halfway, his hands no longer the only thing trembling.

When they came close, neither one of them could speak. It was a strange feeling, being so happy but being so frightened at the same time. Sanji took in everything, every part of Ace's face, his eyes, his hair, his adorable splash of freckles. This was happening. It was really happening and Sanji still couldn't believe it.

Finally, he managed a question. "Is this all your stuff?" he asked.

Ace nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah, gramps is going to be sending the rest of my things next week."

"Cool," Sanji said, "then you want to head to Luffy's? I can help unpack if you want."

Surprisingly, Ace's face reddened then, catching Sanji off guard.

"Uh, well actually…" Ace murmured. He scratched the back of his neck and moved in closer. His voice dropped to a whisper.

"Luffy isn't going to be home until later. I thought we could, I don't know, hang out for a bit…"

Sanji could feel his cheeks flare up. That was exactly what he had wanted to hear, but as soon as he actually heard the words, it became real and it was suddenly and completely embarrassing that he had wanted it so bad.

"Oh…" he managed to breathe, "That's… okay. Are you hungry?"

"Yes!"

Sanji smiled through his embarrassment. Ace's enthusiasm for his cooking had always made him feel so good. They left the train station together, both too nervous to say anything else but once they were out on the streets, back to familiar places, they found conversation a little easier.

"Is your grandfather really okay with you coming back here?"

"Of course," Ace said. "Gramps has always been cool with Luffy and me doing whatever we felt was right. I mean, within reason. Luffy didn't ever want to go to school but that wasn't an optional thing."

"Yeah, but," Sanji sighed, feeling stupid for bringing this back up again, "I just feel bad about the job."

Ace shrugged, "Plenty of jobs here. I'll go back to teaching where I was before. Luffy says sensei is excited to have me back, and now I get to work full time."

Sanji nodded. He still felt guilty but this had been Ace's decision.

"How's living on your own going?" Ace asked.

"It's awesome," Sanji said. "Dad's not around to mess the place up and there's no cards on Fridays anymore so there's no shitty brands of beer stocked in the fridge or people taking my smokes. It's just quiet and relaxing and clean. All the time."

Ace chuckled and the two of them stopped for a traffic light. The cold bit at Sanji's skin and he dug his hands further into his pockets. Ace watched the cars pass them by and moved a little closer to where Sanji was standing. He breathed into his hands and rubbed them together.

"Does he know?" Ace asked quietly.

Sanji nodded slowly. "I told him a few weeks ago."

Ace was silent for a moment, but then he wrapped his arms around himself, shoving his hands under his biceps. "Is he okay?"

Sanji shrugged. "He didn't get mad or kick me out or anything, so I guess, yeah?" He turned to Ace, "Does Luffy know?"

"What do you think?" Ace grinned.

Sanji scoffed as the light turned and the signed changed, "He already knew."

"Yup," Ace stepped into the street and Sanji followed, shaking his head and smiling. Of course, Luffy already knew, Luffy always knew everything.

They came to Sanji's apartment complex and climbed the stairs to the second level. Sanji's hands were shaking a little when he unlocked the door but he felt he did a good job of covering that up. He led Ace inside and kicked his shoes off at the genkan. "You can just put your bag there for now," he said, pointing to a place by the wall, out of the way. He took off his coat and hung it on the rack. "If you want to just have a seat anywhere I'll start dinner."

When he turned around, Ace had placed his bag where Sanji had instructed, and had also hung up his coat, but was standing with his hands in his pockets and his eyes glancing nervously around the living room.

"Everything okay?" Sanji asked.

Ace nodded. "Yes, I'm just… really happy to be back."

Sanji licked his lips and tried to swallow past a dry throat. "I'm really happy you're back too."

Lifting a hand to scratch at the back of his neck, Ace tilted his head the way he did when he was embarrassed or unsure of himself. That way that Sanji loved so much.

"I'm not… intruding, right? I mean, it's okay if I'm here?"

"What?" Sanji could feel his throat tightening around his words, "Why wouldn't it be okay that you're here?"

Ace shook his head, shrugged his shoulders, "I… don't know. I just feel like I didn't give you enough notice and now I'm just kind of… imposing in on your life…"

"That's okay…" Sanji said softly, the words tumbling out before he could stop them, "You are my life… I mean, I want you to be…"

Sanji only realized what he said when Ace's eyes widened in shock. The cook froze, terrified that his words had broken some kind of code, some kind of do-not-cross line that he had no experience with. He swallowed again, throat tight and bone dry as he tried to silently explain his thoughtlessness. He took a step back, face heating with embarrassment.

He couldn't move, couldn't speak or react or anything as Ace pulled his hands from his pockets and crossed the space between them. Closing the distance Ace took Sanji's jaw in his rough palms, and kissed him. It was soft and sweet and everything that Sanji had always thought it would be.

Ace ran his thumbs up and under Sanji's chin, slid his lips over Sanji's gently. His touch slid down Sanji's sides to wrap around his waist. When he pulled them closer together, Sanji pushed himself up on the balls of his feet and wrapped his arms round Ace's shoulders. The kiss grew deeper and Ace leaned in, arching Sanji's back and pushing them against the wall. It was overwhelming, this kiss. Sanji couldn't believe how good it felt to just be touching someone, holding someone, letting himself be swept away like this.

When he pulled away, Sanji only went far enough to catch his breath. Their lips still brushed against each other, their warm breath mingled. Sanji's body trembled, but he no longer tried to hide it as he felt Ace's was trembling as well.

Sanji slid his hands through Ace's hair and he whispered, "Oh my God, you have no idea how long I've wanted to do that."

Ace's breathing was hard, almost ragged. He wrapped his arms tighter around Sanji's waist and feathered kisses across Sanji's nose and cheeks.

"Yes I do."

Sanji pulled Ace in and hugged him tightly, burying his face into dark hair and smooth, tanned skin. He felt Ace shudder as he kissed Sanji's temple.

"Can we eat later?" Ace whispered.

A powerful wave of eagerness and desire rolled through Sanji's body and he nodded almost frantically.

"Yes."

Without another word, Ace bent and scooped Sanjis legs out from under him. He lifted the cook easily, bridal style, and carried him through the kitchen and down the hall.

Sanji laughed, "Ace, what are you doing, I'm not a girl."

"I know," Ace said, "that would be weird."

When they reached Sanji's room, Ace set Sanji down carefully on the edge of his bed and knelt on the floor in front of him. He took one of Sanji's hands and slipped his fingers through the cook's.

"I don't actually have anything cool or sexy to say," Ace said quietly, "I'm just really nervous and I needed a second to regroup."

Sanji's heart fluttered. "It's okay, I'm nervous too."

Chuckling, Ace shook his head and kissed the back of Sanji's hand. "I don't understand why though, it's not like this is the first time either of us has had sex."

Sanji had been thinking the same thing and he had come to a conclusion. It made sense, but he didn't want to say it out loud for fear of sounding sappy.

However, maybe this was the time for being sappy.

"I think," he said, his voice so soft he could barely hear it himself. "I think, at least for me, it's because I've never been with someone that I was really in love with."

Ace looked up at him then, his eyes dark and so amazingly clear and bright. He swallowed once, thickly, as if his throat were as dry as Sanji's.

"I… Sanji, I… what do I even say to that?"

Sanji smiled, his heart pounding and his hands shaking.

"Don't say anything."

He leaned in and kissed Ace, pushing his fingers through thick, black hair again. Ace pressed back, sliding his hands up Sanji's thighs and hips. He pulled at the bottom of Sanji's sweater, getting his fingers underneath to the cook's skin. They pulled away long enough to rid each other of hoodies and t-shirts, leaving them bare and trembling. Ace undid Sanji's belt and the cook lifted his hips so Ace could pull off his jeans and boxers. He chuckled softly when Ace pulled off his socks and kissed the tops of both his feet.

When Ace stood, Sanji move back onto the bed and watched him remove the rest of his clothes. Sanji wanted to stay like this, just watching Ace be naked in the light that crept in from the kitchen, but he knew there would probably be plenty of time for that later.

Ace crawled up into the bed and gently kissed a line up Sanji's leg to his hip. The cook relaxed back onto the pillows and threaded his fingers back into that thick, dark hair and sighed softly. Ace's kisses were warm against his skin, and felt so good on his waist, his stomach, his chest. When he felt a warm, wet tongue on his neck, he arched and tilted his head back. He opened himself up, let Ace devour him inch by inch. He whispered softly as Ace kissed him, gentle, loving words that probably had no meaning at all.

When Ace found his mouth, Sanji kissed him again eagerly, and ran his hand down a muscled torso to slide over a long, thick cock. Ace tensed, breaking the kiss and gasping softly against Sanji's lips. Sanji felt a shock of desire, almost like a lightning bolt, hit him and tremble from his head all the way down to his toes. He pumped Ace slowly, and Ace moaned against his throat.

"You want to do it this way?" Sanji whispered into Ace's hair, "'Cause I have something I want to show you…"

Ace pulled away, arms trembling as he looked down into Sanji's face.

"What is it?"

"Get up for a sec."

When Ace moved, Sanji rolled and opened the drawer to his bedside table. He pulled out a bottle of lube and motioned for Ace to lie down. When Ace obeyed, Sanji crawled on top of him, straddling the larger man's hips.

"Give me your hand," Sanji instructed.

Ace did, and Sanji poured a small amount across Ace's fingers.

"Okay," he said and tossed the bottle, "now, do as I say."

With Sanji's direction, Ace slid his fingers inside Sanji easily. He gasped at the feeling and Sanji smiled, proud that he could make Ace fall apart like this without even trying.

"It's so soft," Ace murmured. "It's not… oh my God. Do you do this a lot?"

Sanji leaned over Ace, rested his hands on the pillows next to broad shoulders, and ground himself down on Ace's fingers.

"I've thought about this a thousand times," he whispered. "I've wanted you to do this to me for years."

Ace's breath caught. "This? Or…"

"Everything."

Ace's eyes flashed, and he froze for a moment before he pulled back his fingers and gripped Sanji's hips.

"Sanji, are you really sure?"

Sanji nodded his head, "Yes."

The angle was perfect, and Ace found no difficulty as he pushed into Sanji's willing and open body. It was amazing, the pressure was intense. The feeling of being so full was so different than when Sanji was alone and doing it to himself. With Ace's body against his, with his trembling hands gripping Sanji's hips so hard, and his breath so labored and so incredibly sexy beneath him, Sanji felt he could float away on the sensation—on the high. He started riding Ace slowly, rolling his hips in a steady rhythm. His hands went to Ace's chest and he straightened, changing the angle, getting Ace deeper.

"Fuck," Ace gasped, "Ah… oh my God…"

Sanji couldn't believe how good it felt. He had been dreaming of this for so long, had been planning for this, preparing himself, but nothing he had ever envisioned had ever come close. This was perfect. It was heaven. Desire coursed through him, pleasure started to cloud his senses, building up inside of him, ready to burst. He pulled himself up straighter, picked up his pace. He felt Ace's body tensing beneath him, coiling like a spring. His cock thick and hot inside of him, pressing in and out, pushing at places Sanji had never been able to get to himself. He grabbed for one of Ace's hands and wrapped it around his own length, urging Ace to stroke him, help the pressure build.

"Sanji… Sanji…" Ace was panting beneath him, "I'm… I think I'm gonna come. What do you want me to do?"

Sanji let his head fall back, let the words wash over him. "Just do it."

He guided Ace's hand, helped his lover stroke him hard and fast. He felt the pleasure and the pressure building. He felt Ace coming beneath him, inside of him, gasping and panting and moaning his name over and over. Sanji almost couldn't bear it and he cried out softly, tensing and slowing his movements as Ace jerked him to completion. He came quietly, letting the feeling of release pulse through him, his loins, through his head, to his heart, to his feet, and the tips of his fingers. The feeling sang though him, releasing tension and fear and doubt and everything else besides.

Sanji collapsed onto Ace's chest, gasping for hair and shaking uncontrollably. Ace was no better, he slid trembling arms around Sanji's shoulders and kissed at Sanji's jaw. They lay that way for a long time, coming down, holding each other and trying to remember how to breathe.

Finally, Sanji realized Ace was speaking softly to him, running his fingers through his hair.

"…Sanji… are you okay?"

Sanji lifted his head and looked down at Ace. He smiled and nodded as he ran his fingers down a smooth cheek.

"Yeah, I'm good."

"Good?"

Sanji chuckled, "Yeah, really good."

Smiling, Ace nodded, "Okay."

Tilting his head to kiss Ace's lips, Sanji whispered, "Are you okay?"

"Me?" Ace scoffed, "Besides the fact that you almost killed me with how sexy you are, yeah. I'm really good too."

"Perfect," Sanji laughed as he moved to the side. He stretched out and rested his head on his arm. He watched Ace's eyes as they watched him, full of so much wonder and affection that it made his heart ache.

"Are you still hungry?" he asked.

Ace's smile widened, "Yes, but I don't want to get up just yet."

Sanji chuckled again and burrowed his face into Ace's neck, "Well, that's okay. I'm hungry, and I want to eat, so I'll get up and make something and you can lie here and recover for a bit."

"Damn," Ace scoffed, "This can't be real. It's too awesome to be real. I'm dead. I must be dead."

Sanji laughed again, his ego flaring and his chest tightening with a kind of happiness he hadn't felt in a long time. He sat up and threw his legs off the side of the bed. "Just hang out here for a bit, I'll go make something and bring it back."

He stood, but Ace grabbed his hand. "Wait, wait," he said.

Sanji turned back to Ace's brilliant smile and adorably freckled face. "What?"

"I just need another kiss. Just one more and I'll be good."

Sanji felt his face heat but he relented and sat back down. Ace reached for him and before he could defend himself, Ace's arms were around him and Sanji was pulled over and gently thrown to his back on the bed.

Ace's lips were still soft and warm, and Sanji sank into the kiss with a smile and a laugh.

"Hey," Ace whispered, his bangs tickling Sanji's eyelashes.

"Hm?"

"I love you."

Sanji's heart fluttered again, and he slid his arms around Ace's neck.

"I love you too."

**~end~**


End file.
